New Ma-Ter-Bio Bioplastic for Bags : Novamont Partners With French Plastic Films Firm on Compostable Plastics Bags
Italian biotech firm, Novamont, has partnered with Barbier Group, a French plastic films manufacturer to develop a new type of lightweight bioplastic bag for fruits and vegetables, as an alternative to traditional non-biodegradable and non-compostable plastic packaging.
The new materials, dubbed ‘Ma-Ter-Bio’ (the bag for planet Earth), is made of plant based feedstock in accordance with the dictates of French law.
According to Novamont the material is able to be wholly composted in domestic environment and is produced from locally sourced starch and sunflower oil. Ma-Ter-Bio’s percentage of renewable content is said to be of at least 35%, but can already be increased to over 50%.
Novamont explained that it first opened its French subsidiary in 2006. The company added that this latest partnership can be considered as a first step towards the creation of a production site on French soil.
The Italian firm added that it has already revitalised five chemical plants already decommissioned or about to be dismantled in Italy.
The Barbier Group meanwhile is the largest French producer of plastic films and sixth largest in the EU. It sells polyethylene sheeting for agriculture and industry as well as bags for the supermarket sector (for vegetables and fruits, waste collection, with soft handles).
The company’s circular economy efforts have led it to develop a number of products from both recycled and biodegradable/compostable materials for over the past 15 years.
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